Holly and the Framed Friend

by Dianne Harman

  Lissa looked at her phone. “Mom shouldn’t be gone too much longer. We better hurry, so you can talk to him a little before she gets here.”

  Holly nodded. “Okay. Anyway, we’re on the last box,” she said as she grabbed the one that had been sitting all by itself in the corner. Opening it, she saw there were mostly old clothes and scarves in it, nothing of importance. “We better get back to Grandpa.”

  He may have been her grandfather, but she didn’t really know him. It was time for her to change all that and get to know him.

  Lissa and Holly put the room back together and slid the two boxes of items to be shipped beside the door. That way there would be no mistaking which ones she wanted. Holly picked up her backpack, and they headed back down the hall and sat down on the couch waiting for their grandfather to wake up.

  Sensing the two girls had returned, Grandpa stopped snoring and opened his eyes. “Did you find anything you’d like to have?” he asked, sleepily.

  “Thank you, yes, I did. I put two boxes next to the door that I wouldn’t mind having,” Holly said politely.

  “Not a problem, kiddo,” he said as he sat up. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

  “What do you want to know?” Holly asked. She wasn’t used to telling people who she was. Where would she even begin?

  “Start by telling me where you live and all the people in your life now,” he said. “I want to get to know you.”

  Holly felt her heart expand as she began to tell her grandfather all about Cottonwood Springs and her life there.

  CHAPTER 11

  “Thank you for everything,” Holly said as she hugged her grandfather when they were ready to leave.

  “No thanks necessary, punkin. I hope you get to visit me again before you head back home,” he said.

  “Me, too,” she said warmly. “It’s nice to have some people to call family after all this time.” She turned to Katie and handed the woman her phone. “Would you take a picture of the two of us together?”

  “Absolutely,” Katie said smiling. She snapped the picture and handed the phone back to Holly. Are you two ready to go?”

  The girls said their goodbyes and got into Katie’s minivan. Soon, they were on the road heading back to the house.

  “Do you think we’ll figure out what happened with your mom and my mom from the diary?” Lissa whispered as she leaned towards Holly. Katie was too busy focusing on traffic and singing along with the song on the radio to notice.

  “I hope so. Do you think we should ask your mom about it?” Holly asked as she watched Katie in the rearview mirror.

  Lissa shook her head. “No. Let’s see if we find anything out. I trust my mom and all, but she’s been acting evasive whenever your mother’s name comes up. It’s like she’s trying to hide something. I don’t want her to know we have the diary yet, just in case.”

  Holly nodded. “You may be right. As soon as we can, let’s start reading it.”

  Lissa sat back up and pushed her earbuds in her ears, leaving Holly to her thoughts on the rest of the ride back home.

  When they got home, Holly and Lissa were heading up the stairs when they heard Steven’s voice in the other room.

  “What?” he exclaimed.

  Both girls turned to each other and Lissa shrugged. Steven appeared in the doorway.

  “What’s wrong?” Lissa asked. Katie was setting her purse down on the end table by the front door, and she turned to listen as well.

  “Chloe just sent out a mass text saying the bonfire has been cancelled until further notice,” he said disappointedly.

  “Why?” Katie asked. “Did something happen?”

  “I don’t know,” Steven said, his focus still on his phone. “I’m sending her a message now to ask what’s going on.”

  “Well, if they just need help or something, I can do it. I know how important it is to everyone,” Katie said as she walked towards the living room.

  “How was Grandpa’s?” Steven asked as he waited for a reply from Chloe.

  “It was good,” Holly said.

  “She and Grandpa really hit it off,” Lissa explained.

  “Well, he’s a pretty laid-back guy,” Steven said smirking. His phone buzzed and he looked down at it. “What?” he asked, sounding shocked.

  “What is it?” Lissa asked.

  “Chloe said the school is accusing her of vandalism. Her parents are livid and didn’t believe her when she told them she didn’t do it,” he answered as he typed. “I’m asking her what she supposedly did.”

  They all waited at the bottom of the stairs for the reply.

  “She says someone wrote swear words and stuff all over the lockers at school with dry erase markers. The school said it won’t press charges if she comes in and cleans everything off the lockers. I guess there’s a security video of someone who looks just like her doing it. Bad thing is, she was home alone when it happened, and she doesn’t have any way to prove that it wasn’t her.” Steven sighed. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Are you sure she’s telling the truth?” Holly asked.

  “Oh, yeah,” Lissa scoffed. “Trust me, this girl’s no liar.” When Holly looked confused, Lissa continued. “She’s like this brainiac good girl who’s also pretty and popular. Kind of like you, from what I understand.”

  Holly laughed, “Don’t think so. I’m not popular.”

  “Still,” Lissa continued. “She’s kind of almost too perfect to be real, but she’s super nice. There’s no way she would do something like that. Someone had to set her up.”

  “But why would anyone do that?” Steven asked. “I thought everybody loved the bonfires. She invites, like, everyone. Whoever did this just ruined the fun for everyone.”

  “What if she proves she didn’t do it?” Holly asked.

  “I would assume the bonfire would be back on,” Steven said. “But how could she do that when she doesn’t have anybody who can verify that she was at home?”

  “Simple,” Holly shrugged. “Find out who really did it.”

  “But how?” Lissa asked. “We’re just kids, not the cops.”

  “Which is even better. Remember how I told you Brigid’s helped with lots of police investigations? That’s because people are much more comfortable talking to people just like them. They’ll watch what they say and not tell the police everything they know because they’re afraid they might incriminate themselves or rat out a friend or relative. But a couple of teenagers asking questions?” Holly asked. She knew she already had her hands full trying to figure out what happened with her mother, but she was sure she could help find out who had vandalized the school lockers.

  She couldn’t let someone be accused of something they didn’t do, especially one of her cousins’ friends. Besides, it seemed like this bonfire was important to a lot of people, and it looked like it was up to her to try and make it happen as planned.

  “Can you help, Holly?” Steven asked. “I know it’s not really your problem, but I consider Chloe a good friend.”

  “Not a problem,” Holly said. “We should probably plan this out somewhere a little more comfortable, though,” she said looking around the entry.

  “Oh, right,” Steven said. “Come on, let’s go up to my room.”

  They jogged up the stairs and headed down the hall. Holly dropped her backpack by her door as they walked by the guest room.

  When Holly went into Steven’s room, she felt like she’d walked into a different house. While the rest of the house was decorated in light, airy colors, Steven’s room was dark blue. The walls were nearly bare with the exception of a framed poster above his bed from some old horror movie. Piles of dirty clothes were in the corner beside a desk that had a reading lamp on.

  Steven pulled out the desk chair for Holly, and he and Lissa sat on his bed. “Where would we even start?” he asked.

  “Typically, you need to start with a list of suspects,” Holly began. “Anyone who has any reason for vandalizing the lockers. D
oes Chloe have anyone who doesn’t like her?”

  “Honestly, I don’t think so,” Steven explained. “I mean, she’s nice to everyone.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Lissa pointed out. “Girls can be sweet to your face while they stab you in the back.”

  “Lissa’s got a point,” Holly said. “We’ll probably have to ask Chloe if she knows anyone who might have had a reason to do it. It wouldn’t hurt if we could take a look at the video footage, too. That might give us some clues.” She tapped her chin as she began to think.

  “What should we do once we have a list of suspects?” Lissa asked.

  “Typically, you go down the list and see who was doing what at the time it happened. If they don’t have an alibi, you dig further. Ask questions and things like that until you narrow it down,” Holly explained.

  “That seems almost too easy,” Steven said skeptically.

  “It may sound simple, but trust me, it’s not,” Holly assured them. “Sometimes people lie or give you half the truth. Other times, it may seem like one person is the offender, but then you find out it’s someone else.”

  “We need to talk to Chloe,” Steven said.

  “That should be your first step,” Holly agreed.

  Steven pulled out his phone and began furiously typing. “I’m telling her we want to help clear her name and for her to ask her parents if we can come over and talk to her sometime soon,” he said.

  Lissa and Holly waited for him to get a response. When he finally did, they listened anxiously as he read it.

  “She says her parents don’t mind if we come over after a while,” he said as he typed his response.

  “Where does she live?” Holly asked.

  “Just the next street over,” Lissa answered. “Most of the kids who go to our high school live fairly close by.”

  “That’s handy,” Holly remarked.

  “When shall I tell her we’ll be at her house?” Steven asked.

  Holly thought about the diary tucked safely in her backpack. What she really wanted to do was go to her room and read through it. She’d only be in Springfield for a short time, and she didn’t want to miss an opportunity to find out why her mom had moved away. Yet looking at her cousins, she knew she couldn’t say no to them. Their friend needed help, and if Holly was in her shoes, she hoped someone would be willing to help her.

  “I guess the sooner the better,” she said.

  CHAPTER 12

  They told Katie they were going over to Chloe’s house and then they began the short walk around the block. Holly brought the notebook they were using to investigate their family, so they could also record anything they needed to remember about Chloe’s situation.

  While they walked, Lissa and Steven told Holly about some of their favorite places in Springfield. Lissa couldn’t talk enough about the nature museum, while Steven told her about his favorite hangout spots. Eventually, they turned and walked up a long sidewalk to a large white two-story home. Holly thought the house looked like something she’d see in a magazine or on television. There was even a summer-themed wreath on the front door.

  As they were walking up the steps to the house, a girl about Steven’s age opened the door. Her long platinum blonde hair shone brightly in the sunlight. Her nose was pink and her eyes were red-rimmed, as though she’d been crying.

  “Thank you so much for coming over,” she said to Steven as she hugged him.

  “Hey, no problem, Chloe. I just can’t believe someone would do this,” he said, returning the embrace.

  “I know,” she said, a single tear slipping down her cheek. “Please come inside.”

  “Chloe, this is Holly. She’s our cousin from Colorado, and she’s going to help us investigate this whole thing,” Steven said. “Actually, it was her idea. She’s investigated things like this before.”

  “I really appreciate it. Thanks,” Chloe said as she pulled Holly in for a hug. Holly felt awkward hugging a stranger, but she tried not to let it show.

  “I’ll do my best,” Holly said, “but I can’t make any promises.”

  “I’m sure it will be better than anything I could do. Let’s go sit in the dining room. My parents are watching their game shows in the family room,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  The house was large and spacious. The tall ceilings and hardwood floors told Holly the home was old, her favorite kind of a house. She thought older houses had a lot more character and detail than the newer ones.

  Chloe pushed a set of wooden double doors open and they walked into a room with a fairly large dining room table which could easily seat eight people.

  “Do you guys want anything to drink or snack on?” she asked.

  “No, I think we’re good,” Steven said looking at his sister and Holly who nodded in agreement.

  “So, where do we start?” Chloe asked as they all sat down at the table.

  “First of all, we need to come up with a list of suspects,” Holly explained. She opened the notebook to a fresh sheet of paper. “Do you know anyone who would want to see you get in trouble?”

  “No. That’s the thing,” Chloe said, almost whining. “I always try to be nice and kind to everyone. I don’t know who would want to do something like this to me.” She looked as though she wanted to burst into tears.

  “Take a deep breath,” Holly said easily. It was a good thing she’d read all those books on psychology a year or two ago. She had a feeling she may need to use some of the things she’d read about. She waited for Chloe to collect herself before continuing. “Steven said there was some film from a security camera at the school.”

  “Yes,” Chloe said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. “They emailed it to my parents to show them it was me.” She tapped a few times on her phone and then slid it over to them. Lissa pushed play as they all huddled around the phone.

  A young lady wearing a zip-up hoodie was scrawling obscenities and drawing vulgar things on the school lockers. Her face was obscured, but there was a bit of light blonde hair peeking out from under the hoodie as she moved from locker to locker. Suddenly, the girl froze and then bolted toward the stairs. A pudgy janitor followed her, but she was too fast for him.

  “Chloe, that does look a lot like you,” Steven said.

  “I know, but here’s the thing. That’s my hoodie, the one my grandmother made me, but its been missing. It’s not in my closet,” Chloe said as she leaned across the table, retrieving her phone.

  “What do you mean?” asked Lissa. “Everyone knows that’s your jacket.”

  “Which is exactly what whoever did it wanted people to think when they saw the camera footage,” Holly filled in. Everyone turned and looked at her. “Well, think about it. If you want to frame someone, what’s the best way to do it?”

  They were quiet until Steven said, “Make it look like they did it.”

  “Exactly. If a person is known for wearing something, why not wear it while committing the crime? They’re taking advantage of the fact that when people see that jacket, they’ll automatically think of you. I’m willing to bet your hair is fairly unique, too,” Holly suggested.

  “You’re right. No one else has hair this light,” Chloe admitted.

  Holly nodded. “So now we need to figure out who could have taken your jacket,” she said. “Any ideas where to start? When did it go missing?”

  “Well, I know I still had it when school let out for summer vacation,” she began. “I had some of the cross country girls over maybe a week ago. I think I noticed it missing a day or two later. I mean, it’s not exactly the right time of year to wear a jacket,” she pointed out.

  “No, that’s for sure,” Holly agreed. “Has anyone else come over to your house from the time school ended until you realized it was missing?” she asked.

  Chloe shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Hey, how’s it going?” a deep voice asked. They all turned to see a teenage boy entering the dining room.

 
“Hey, Seth,” Chloe said. “Holly, this is my younger brother Seth. He’s a junior.”

  “Nice to meet you, Holly,” Seth said. His dark hair was short but slightly shaggy. His eyes were a bright green and took her by surprise. He had a cocky smirk that said he knew he was good looking. Holly wasn’t impressed. Not that she didn’t agree, but his cockiness wasn’t exactly appealing to her.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said, turning back to Chloe. “Who all was over that day?”

  Seth strolled over to the chair beside his sister and sat down. He folded his fingers as he listened intently.

  “Hmmm,” Chloe said as she began to think. “I’m pretty sure only four of them showed up. It was kind of a last-minute thing. We wanted to get a gift for our coach, and we were trying to figure out what to buy him.”

  Holly nodded. “Four is good. I was afraid you were going to say something around ten or so,” she said with a nervous laugh.

  “What are you guys doing?” Seth asked.

  “They’re going to help me clear my name so we can have the bonfire,” she said confidently.

  “I’m going to try,” Holly added, “but certainly no guarantee of success.”

  “She’s got this. The lady she lives with solves murder investigations and stuff all the time,” Lissa said. Holly could feel heat rising up in her cheeks.

  “Is that so?” Seth said, eyeing Holly appreciatively. “I like a girl with brains.”

  Holly ignored him. “What are their names?” she asked Chloe.

  “Stephanie, Allison, Leah, and Carrie,” she said. “Steven and Lissa know who they are.”

  Steven nodded. “And thankfully, all but one of them lives somewhat nearby. So it won’t be a problem to pay them a visit,” he said.

  “Good,” Holly said nodding as she took down notes. She needed to remember the jacket, names, and the blonde hair. “None of them has blonde hair though, right?” she asked.

  Chloe shook her head. “No, and the video showed someone with almost white blonde hair like mine.”

  “What if it was a wig?” Seth suggested.